


Brothers be united

by DaenaBlackfyre



Category: One Piece
Genre: Ace Lives, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Idiots in Love, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Shirohige Kaizoku-dan | Whitebeard Pirates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:01:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25720246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaenaBlackfyre/pseuds/DaenaBlackfyre
Summary: After meeting again, they renewed their oath as brothers, but to Sabo this no longer represents his bond with Ace.
Relationships: Portgas D. Ace/Sabo
Comments: 8
Kudos: 75





	Brothers be united

**Author's Note:**

> Did you know that pirates married each other? Oda ignores all this gay reality of piracy. I wanted a story where Sabo and Ace live and are happy, I will one day expand on that reunion. The name of the fanfic comes from a verse of José Hernández's Martín Fierro, an Argentine classic poem in my country, it's part of our history and culture. The translation of the quote is in the epigraph of the story.
> 
> Thank you so much to [AnnieDeOdair](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnieDeOdair) for all the support, [ChainedKura](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChainedKura) for your amazing translations and [Noe_Sweetway](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noe_Sweetway) for loving SaboAce so much.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Follow me on [Tumblr](https://daenablackfyre.tumblr.com/) and soon I'll publish part two with a great party for the wedding of these two.

_Let brothers be united,  
because that's the first law.  
Have a true union in any time that goes,  
because if they fight each other,  
they get devoured from outside_  
**José Hernández**

A loud noise forced him to wake up and nearly made him fall out of bed.

Ace blinked around as he processed where he was. He felt his mouth sticky and tried to remember if he had drunkenly fallen asleep again, which was very likely. His head was spinning and he thought about continuing sleeping a little more. He huddled against his bed thinking that later on he could eat something with his crewmates, drink more, fight, laugh. The same thing they always did.

He tried to go back to sleep, but more roars and screams woke him up again. Ace was usually a _very heavy_ sleeper, but his unconscious always forced him to wake up when there were problems. The sounds he heard were not the normal fights that were happening on the ship.

 _Intruder_.

_Catch him._

_Kill him!_

An intruder? On the ship? Was there some idiot who wanted to sneak into Shirohige's ship on his own? A suicide perhaps.

Ace put on his hat and left the cabin watching how all of his crewmates ran towards the mayhem. He also approached with a smile interested in all the scandal he heard. He trusted the crew and didn't think there was really anything to worry about. Apparently the intruder was strong because many people surrounded him.

Frowning, unable to see anything, he stopped when he felt _something strange_.

A feeling that left him static in place and unable to move from the impression, almost like an invisible slap that made him feel puzzled.

 _Haki_.

He began to see some of his companions fall to the ground totally unconscious and Ace sighed, because he knew who that Haki belonged to.

What the hell was that jerk doing there?

His body melted into fire and slipped through all the people until he reached him. He heard screams, his crewmates cheering him on, but Ace couldn't understand what they were saying. His focus was on punching the punk in the face. Blond hair danced in the wind as that face turned to Ace. His eyes narrowed as his fire-wrapped fist collided with that haki-wrapped pipe that brought back so many memories of his childhood.

Every muscle in his body tensed as he pulled against him. Because that asshole wouldn't budge and neither would he. Their relationship had always been like that. Every day struggling to see who was stronger. Back then Ace always won, but now that idiot had become too strong and he understood why. The second person in command of the Revolutionary Army cannot be a weak person after all.

"What do you think you're doing here?" Ace snapped, not wanting to loosen his strength. If that stupid didn't have such a strong haki, he would've burn his ridiculous aristocrat tie and top hat.

A big smile was what he got as the first answer and that always irritated him, but at the same time he loved that gesture. It reminded him of Luffy. In fact, this whole scandalous situation reminded him of his little brother, but he shouldn't be surprised by the impulsive act of that stupid, either. The three were brothers and very similar too.

"Ah?" He mentioned, cocking his head in mock confusion, but the challenging gaze was still present in those large eyes. "I was just visiting, but your crewmates didn't want to listen to me..."

"Of course not, stupid." Ace gave a strong push to finally stop struggling and look at him with a mixture of joy and reproach in his expression. Because he was glad to see him, but there was no need for a fuss with his crew. "You could have been a little more subtle!"

Sabo laughed when he said that and Ace couldn't help but join him.

He couldn't bother with him for too long. Not since they met again.

After years of thinking he was dead, Ace still felt like he was dreaming every time he saw Sabo again. His fists still vibrated from the blows he gave him the time they saw each other again, he couldn't help but blame the pain and demand explanations of why he disappeared, why he left them... why he left him.

It took some work for him to accept that those separate years were because Sabo lost his memories and wanted to kill him for having forgotten everything, but he got his memories back at the exact moment and when he needed them most.

"He is my brother," he explained to his companions, who were confused to see him speak so familiarly with the strange intruder. "It is not dangerous, just an idiot who does not know how to call before arriving."

Sabo frowned in annoyance at the insult and this time it was Ace's turn to laugh. He was not telling lies.

"Brother?" Jozu repeated, confused, looking at Sabo. "Wasn't your brother the Mugiwara boy?"

"That's the little one," Izo corrected. "This is the revolutionary."

Everyone there seemed very surprised by that information. Ace had commented about Sabo to some of his crew brothers, but hadn't given too much _detail_. There were simply things about his relationship with Sabo that he kept for his own privacy. He was still experiencing the happiness caused by having found him again.

After that, they had seen each other a few times. They always spoke via Den Den Mushi and saw each other when their locations matched or when they could get away from their lives. Ace was still a free pirate, but Sabo had a difficult job and a cause he couldn't keep away from, no matter how often his selfish desires yearned for him. Several times he imagined that Sabo could join his crew and sail together, live that same dream from when they were children and be _together_. However, after letting go of the euphoria of the first meeting, Ace knew that they could never be like that.

Sabo had found his place in the world within the Revolutionary Army and nothing could make him happier than watching his brother fight for his ideals. It hurt anyway. Every full of fire reunion they had was stained with sadness later when they had to part ways.

"What are you doing here?" Ace asked again. "Why didn't you tell me you were close?"

The smile he saw on his brother's lips seemed somewhat suspicious.

"I wasn't close," Sabo replied. "One of my commanders found the location of your ship, and I came for an important matter."

Those words made him blink in confusion. Important issue? That didn't sound good.

"I demand to speak to your captain," Sabo said to the crew in a formal tone that Ace almost ignored. "I have something to deal with him."

His mouth fell open with shock, as did many there. What was wrong with this madman? Ace wanted to ask him, but Sabo said nothing to him. He just smiled as if to say _'don't worry'_.How could he not worry?!

Marco looked at Izo and other of his crewmates, feeling that request somewhat _strange_. But, against all odds, the old man agreed to speak to him. Maybe because he was a revolutionary or because he was Ace's brother. Whatever the reason, Shirohige sat in his chair and they served him a nice cup of sake while he waited to speak to the intruder brother of one of his sons.

Sabo was content to be granted that audience. He walked to the huge man, letting his coat slide in the wind. The top hat left his head and he rearranged the gloves in his hands when he sat opposite one of the four sea emperors. For some reason, the people around looked at the scene almost without breathing. Some muttered the possibility of a fight or worse, but Ace shut them all up with a look because he wanted to know what the hell was going on.

Edward Newgate drank his cup of sake and sighed with great pleasure. It was at that moment that he looked at the boy in front of him, who showed confidence in his serene gesture and no fear of being in his presence. He was a special boy, he noticed immediately.

"So tell me," muttered the old captain, waiting for the bottle of sake to be passed directly to him, "what does the Revolutionary Army want with me, brat?"

Sabo laughed when he heard his question and several of the men there thought he must be crazy for having such a gesture in front of a pirate who could crush him right away.

"It's not about that, sir," he replied with complete confidence. "I want to talk about a different matter, about... Ace."

Hearing his name, he felt a chill run down his spine and everyone's gaze fell on him. What the fuck was that stupid going to do? Of all the things he could have imagined, he could never have predicted what happened.

Sabo bowed respectfully in front of Shirohige and spoke:

"I want you, please, as the captain of this ship, to marry us."

The silence that filled the Moby Dick that day was almost deathly. No one spoke, as if everyone was afraid they had misheard or simply asked if that boy really said he wanted him _oyaji to_ marry him to Ace.

Instantly, a collective " _What ?!"_ chorus was heard throughout the ship. Glances fell back to Ace, who this time was not only nervous, but his face turned almost as red as the fire in his body.

"HAVE YOU GONE MAD, SABO?!"

Ace's scream didn't push him back. That revolutionary remained firm in front of Shirohige, who had even stopped drinking to see that brat as if he didn't finish understanding that he was serious.

"He wants to marry our brother?"

"Aren't they brothers too?"

"Technically _oyaji_ could do it because he is the captain of the ship."

Many of the older members had witnessed the occasional wedding made official by their captain. A pirate was a free person and detached from the laws, it made sense that the only one capable of making these unions was the captain, the highest authority of a ship. Those kinds of ceremonies were very common, between men, women, or whatever. In the sea, prejudice was of little importance. If two people were willing, the captain would unite them.

That was not unusual.

What caught everyone's attention was that this boy, who didn't belong to the crew, demanded that the _oyaji_ marry him to one of his commanders. He was definitely wrong in the head and what everyone thought was that the old man would kick him out.

Shirohige said nothing for a long time while studying that brat. He had to lean forward to get a closer look at him with a frown. A couple of times he had received similar requests, but never from someone outside his crew. He did not know that boy beyond knowing that he was the _sworn brother_ of one of his sons. At what point did he think he would say yes? However, he believed it was fair to give him an opportunity to explain himself.

"Do you want to marry one of my sons?" He repeated suspiciously. "And why do you want that? Do you intend to leave the revolutionaries and join my family? I'm not Big Mom, kid, I don't make that kind of deal."

Ace felt the need to grab his face to contain a bit of the embarrassment he was feeling for the whole situation. He wanted to jump on top of Sabo and drag him away from there to kill him on his own, but he caught himself and heard Sabo say a clear _no_.

"I know Ace considers you his father and has a lot of respect for you, but my place is not here," Sabo explained very seriously, and his words came out honestly from his mouth as he spoke to the captain. "We drank sake when we were children and vowed to be brothers. Then we reinforced that union when we met again, but... It is no longer enough."

Several of the viewers of that conversation gasped upon hearing it and watched everything with great curiosity. They considered themselves brothers, a large family there, but there were also other types of love within even that crew.

"I can't be with Ace the way I want to because I fight a different cause," he continued. "And if I ever _leave again_ I don't want it to be like his brother, but like _much more."_

Ace swallowed when he heard it and his eyes trembled. He never knew that Sabo felt this way, but he could perceive it because it also happened to him. The distance and time apart made them imagine the worst. After so many years apart, it hurt a lot when they parted ways and there was always the fear of never meeting again. He understood that feeling, but still couldn't believe what Sabo was asking for. He still wanted to kill him, but his anger subsided at the small monologue.

For his part, Shirohige was silent hearing the story and everyone was waiting until the old man laughed, which was confusing.

"You're a weird brat, but I understand you," he said with a smile. "I'm not going to judge your motives, do what you want, but I'm not the one who has to say yes."

 _Oyaji's_ eyes fell on Ace and he shivered at that. Shit, the whole crew was looking at him again, but it turned out worse when Sabo approached him with such a steady step that it made his heart vibrate.

"Ace..." he mumbled with that stupid smile he had missed so much. Sabo dropped to one knee and held out his hand. In that instant, Ace wanted to die of embarrassment for various reasons. "Do you want to join me as more than just brothers?"

The silence of the ship was interrupted by stifled sighs that only made him more nervous. He could hear his crewmates muttering behind his back, expectant and eager to know what he would say. He felt too much pressure. It was all very sudden. Sabo never even consulted this with him before, surely he launched into the attack when the idea crossed his mind without measuring consequences or considering what Ace wanted.

He bit his lips helplessly because that idiot decided everything on his own, but maybe he followed that impulse because he already knew what his answer would be.

Ace took Sabo's hand to force him up.

"Don't kneel, you idiot," he mentioned with a smile, then launched himself into a hug so tight they almost fell to the ground. "Of course I want to."

Of course he wanted, he didn't want anything else.

Sabo was the first person to love him in a time when Ace thought he was just a demon, the son of evil itself. He showed him that he was human and that for the first time in his life it was okay to feel happy, to feel loved. How could he not want to be united forever with the person he loved since he was a brat? Now that he had him back he didn't want to pretend they were just brothers and that he didn't love him in that special way.

Everything around him exploded into frantic cheers.

_Our brother is getting married!_

_Bring the drinks!_

_Let the other commanders know!_

_We will have a party!_

Ace buried his face in Sabo's neck smiling at that scandal but more for having him there, for feeling his warmth again. He pulled back a little to hold that face in his hands and stroked the scars on his skin, unable to stop smiling. He put his forehead against Sabo's and felt like crying for having him alive there, for the two of them being alive together and about to shout to everyone that they would never be separated again.


End file.
